Stéphane Ly-Cuong was born in France on October 22, 1972.

Stéphane knew as a teenager that he had a zest for cinema and film-making, and pursued this artistic, creative ambition by studying at the Paris VIII university and then venturing abroad to Brooklyn College, New York.

On finishing his studies, he made short films for video whilst working as a journalist, as well as an extras casting director on several films.

He had the opportunity to be an extra in a film and enjoyed the general atmosphere on the set, and the teamwork instantly appealed to him. It was then that he set his sights on becoming a screenwriter/director.

His first venture was in collaboration with Fabien Paul. A short video story, with a comedy theme, made in black and white and lasting approximately seven minutes – Tarama no Tarama, which was selected in several festivals (Paris, Montreal, Seville, and others) Stéphane’s enjoyment of making this short story encouraged him to continue with more projects.

Stéphane’s passion for musical theatre enthused within him the decision to attempt his own musical, and his next project was born. His first ‘real’ step into film-making, a beautiful fairy tale called - La Jeune Fille et La Tortue. This film has been shown in several French and International Festivals (India, Germany, Italy, Austria, etc). It was nominated for and received many accolades.

The success of La Jeune Fille et La Tortue inspired Stéphane to advance onto a more demanding project, which resulted in the vibrant and colourful musical – Paradisco. Many countries have had the opportunity to experience this fabulous tale, through their Festivals, for which Stéphane and his film have been nominated for and won many awards to great acclaim.

Stéphane also works as a musical theatre-related free-lance writer. He has worked for Playbill Online, Tony Awards Online and The Sondheim Review. He is the co-editor of Regard en Coulisse, the French musical theatre website.

Les Nouveaux Romntiques, a musical show devised and directed by Stéphane, played to full houses in Paris, thus proving to be a tremendously popular show and scheduled for extended dates.

Stéphane is working on another project, a feature- length film entitled Strangers In Paradise, which we all await with enthusiasm.

Stéphane has recently directed three fantastic projects, C'est toujours ça de pris which has gone from strength to strength and continues to draw audiences for a wonderful night of entertainment, along with Simply Broadway and Cabaret Jaune Citron.

Stéphane is currently involved in the upcoming Paris production of Edges. He will direct this collection of songs , which have been written by a young duo – Pasek & Paul. It is about coming of age and the struggles that go with it : following or giving up on your dreams, making choices, being ready to take a chance.

In addition to the Paris production of Edges, Stéphane is also directing the Paris premiere production of The Last Five Years, a musical written and composed by Jason Robert Brown.